Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1887-09-28
TEE REPuDL1c,s GRATITUDE.

The report Of General Black. tie Com
missioner Of Pensions, hes Just besn q
sued, and shows that 1t the close Of thu
last dseal year there were 4O6 ,007 army
and navy pensioners on the rolls. OF thess
3O7, 298 are actual survivors OF tho wal
between the States, tho Mexican and 1911
wars, nearly . hundred thousand being
widows and other relatives Of deceased
soldiers. The amount annually disbursed
to this army Of pensioners 10 nearly hity-
thru millions Of dollars. During last year
the pension claims allo~ed amounted to
over s~eventy:three million dollars. the diff
ference between the AMOUNT paid and the
annual values being due to first paymsnte,
including accrued" and arrears" There
was . net increase TO the pension roll last
year Of over forty thousand names. The
most curious feature in. the report, how
ever. ID the figures relative to the survivors
Of the war OF 1919. Since 1871. when
tho hrst act was passed providing for q
pension to them, nearly t~hirty-6vs thous-
and claims have been filed BY the surviving
soldiers and sailors.o i that conflict. The
mel engaged in that struggle with. England
must have been exceptionally young, hardy
and vigorous But the mortality among
them must have been heavy in the last six
teen years for at the present time there are
only 1869 survivors OF that var upon the
rolls. When it 10 considered that seventy
I've years have elapsed since then-which
il far above the average Of human life. and
the limit to which few men are spared-and
that 1T the least twenty years should be
added to that ss their probable sgs on
entering tho service, it 10 only reasonable
to suppose that their names will loon be
but q memory on, the pension rolls. In
credible - it may seem, however, seventeen
original survivor claims were fled during /
the last fiscal year. and there are now
on the rolls nearly 1900 widows OF those
who served in that war. This 10 not to be
taken "a an instance Of the greater Ion
eevity Of life on the female side. Being to q
Jackson Democrats, al handsome, |
hardy fellows, the simplest explanation is
that that number OF veterans survived
their first wives and were eagerly snapped
up by young women when pretty well on in
years, OF which discrimination the aiore |
said young women are now in their old age |
reaping the benefit in the shape Of . pen
sion from . grateful country. It used to
be said that republics are unerateful, bat
with this showing and the fact that since
1861 the amount paid for pensions has
been $S83.44O,298 this slur cannot be
flung at ore, the greatest the sun ever
shone upon. In this liberal return to those
who risked their lives in their country's
the two parties have been equally
prompt in dealing generously with the
nations veterans. No other country in
the world car show q record OF such unex-
ampled generosity to it's soldiers and sail
ors and their surviving dependents as this,
and the only matter to regret in this con-
nection is the painful reflection that there
are people in this country base enough to
Jorge and enjoy the fruits Of fraudulent
claims for pensions that have been allowed,
instances Of which are coming to light With
loo great frequency for agreeable refec-